Railway having vibration-dampened detector tie

ABSTRACT

A detector tie is provided for use in a railway. The detector tie may have a tie base, and a detector operatively coupled to the tie base. The detector tie may also have a vibration damper connected to a least one of the tie base and the detector. The vibration damper may be configured to protect the at least one detector from vibrations induced within the railway.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to a railway and, more particularly, to a railway having a vibration-dampened detector tie.

BACKGROUND

A railway is a permanent travel path for a rail vehicle. A typical railway includes a connected lattice structure consisting of ties that are at least partially buried within ballast, parallel rails that are supported by the ties in a spaced-apart configuration, and fasteners that bind the rails to the ties. Historically, the ties have been fabricated from wood, although some modern ties are also fabricated from concrete, steel, or synthetic material.

Modern railways can also be equipped with detectors positioned to detect conditions of the rails and/or the rail vehicles as they travel along the rails. In some instances, the detectors are connected to the ties at locations near or between the rails, One problem with connecting the detectors to the ties, however, has been vibrations induced within the ties as the rail vehicles travel along the rails. These vibrations, if left unchecked, can cause damage to the detectors. The vibrations are also manifest in the form of noise, which can he a nuisance in some applications.

One attempt to reduce vibration within a railway is disclosed in JP Patent No. 07216801 that issued to Akira et, al (“the '801 patent”). Specifically, the '801 patent discloses a multi-layer emulsion resin composition disposed between a rail and each tie of the railway. The composition is intended to dampen sound caused by a train traveling on the railway.

Although perhaps somewhat effective at reducing noise, the resin composition of the '801 patent may be less than optimal. In particular, the resin composition may be expensive and difficult to apply to the railway. Further, applying the composition to all ties within a given railway may be impractical. In addition, the composition of the '801 patent is not designed for use with detector ties and, accordingly, may not adequately protect any associated detectors,

The railway and detector tie of the present disclosure are directed at solving one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosure is related to a detector tie for a railway. The detector tie may include a tie base, and a detector operatively coupled to the tie base. The detector tie may also include a vibration damper connected to a least one of the tie base and the detector. The vibration damper may be configured to protect the at least one detector from vibrations induced within the railway.

In another aspect, the disclosure is related to another detector tie. This detector tie may include a metallic tie base having a generally hollow enclosure, and at least one of a dragging equipment detector and an over temperature detector at least partially disposed within the generally hollow enclosure. The detector tie may also include a vibration coating applied to the metallic tie base. The vibration coating may have a thickness tuned to reduce a natural frequency within the at least one of the dragging equipment detector and the over temperature detector. The vibration coating may also be configured to inhibit oxidation of the tie base.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure is related to a railway. The railway may include at least one rail, a plurality of non-detector ties configured to support the at least one rail, and a detector tie disposed between two of the plurality of non-detector ties. The detector tie may be configured to support the at least one rail, and have a tie base made from a material different than a material of the plurality of non-detector ties. The detector tie may also have a detector operatively coupled to the tie base, and a vibration damper connected to a least one of the tie base and the detector. The vibration damper may be configured to protect the detector from vibrations induced within the at least one rail. The railway may also include a plurality of fasteners configured to connect the at least one rail to each of the plurality of ties and to the detector tie.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view illustration of an exemplary disclosed railway;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustration of an exemplary disclosed detector tie that may be form a portion of the railway of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional illustration of the detector tie of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary rail vehicle 10 traveling along a railway 12. For the purposes of this disclosure, vehicle 10 is shown as a locomotive. It is to be appreciated, however, that any other type of rail vehicle (e.g., a tender car, a cargo car, a passenger car, a service vehicle, a trolley, etc.) may similarly travel on railway 12. Railway 12 may include, among other things, at least one rail 14, a plurality of ties 16 configured to support rail 14 in a spaced-apart transverse configuration, and fasteners (e.g., plates and spikes) 18 that connect rails 14 to each tie 16.

Ties 16 may be divided into two types, including detector ties 16 a and non-detector ties 16 b. As will be described in more detail below, detector ties 16 a may be equipped to detect operational conditions of rails 14 and/or vehicle 10, as vehicle 10 travels along rails 14. Non-detector ties 16 b, in contrast, may not be so equipped. In general, a majority of ties 16 used within railway 12 may be non-detector ties 16 b. Specifically, each detector tie 16 a may be located between. two non-detector ties 16 b, and located a significant distance away from another detector tie 16 a. For example, detector ties 16 a may be located about 10-30 miles away from each other. Non-detector ties 16 b may be any conventional ties known in the art and each include, for example, an uncoated base made from wood or concrete material that is directly connected to rails 14 (i.e., without any material therebetween).

An exemplary detector tie 16 a is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in these figures, detector tie 16 a may include, among other things, a tie base 20, one or more detectors 22 operatively coupled with tie base 20, and a vibration damper 24 connected to at least one of tie base 20 and vibration damper 24 (shown as connected to tie base 20 in FIG. 3). In the disclosed embodiment, tie base 20 is formed from metal to have a generally hollow enclosure 26, and detectors 22 are disposed at least partially within enclosure 26 (e.g., wiring harnesses of detectors 22 may pass through enclosure 26 to each individual detector 22). It is contemplated that any number of detectors 22 may be connected to tie base 20, and alternatively disposed completely within or completely outside of enclosure 26, as desired. Vibration damper 2.4 may be configured to protect detector(s) 22 from vibrations induced within tie base 20 by vehicle 10.

Tie base 20 may be used to “tie” rails 14 together. In particular, tie base 20 may include a rail mount 28 located at each end, such that fasteners 18 (referring to FIG. 1) may be able to engage a lip of each rail 14 and pass through corresponding holes in rail mount 28. In the disclosed embodiment, each rail mount 28 embodies a pair of flanges that extend from opposing sides of tie base 20 at an upper or exposed surface 30 thereof One or more openings 32 may be formed within upper surface 30 to accommodate detectors 22. In some embodiments, a seal (not shown) may be placed at openings 32 to inhibit debris and/or moisture from passing around detectors 22 and entering enclosure 26.

Detector 22 may generically refer to any type of detection device (e.g., sensor, camera, probe, electrode, catalyst, etc.) used to generate signals indicative of an operational condition of vehicle 10 and/or rails 14. For example, each detector 22 may be one of a dragging equipment detector configured to detect the presence of equipment dragging beneath vehicle 10, or an over-temperature detector configured to detect an elevated temperature of a wheel, bearing, or brake of vehicle 10. Other types of detectors may also be utilized. in the disclosed embodiment, two dragging equipment detectors are utilized (e.g., at a location between rails 14) together with two over temperature detectors (e.g., at locations outside of rails 14). It is contemplated, however that a different number and/or combination of detectors could alternatively be connected to each tie base 20, if desired. Detectors 22 may be removably (e.g., by way of fasteners) or permanently (e.g., by way of welding) connected to tie base 20. The signals generated by detectors 22 may be recorded, processed, and/or communicated to local or remote systems for use in detecting and diagnosing issues associated with operation of vehicle 10 and/or railway 12.

Vibration damper 24 may be configured to protect detectors 22 from damaging vibrations passing from rails 14 through tie base 20. In the disclosed embodiment, vibration damper 24 is an elastomeric coating applied to tie base 20, For example, vibration damper 24 may be applied to an external surface of rail mounts 28, such that the transmission of vibrations from rails 14 to tie base 20 is reduced. Additionally or alternatively, vibration damper 24 may be applied at openings 32, such that the transmission of vibrations from tie base 20 into detectors 22 is reduced. Additionally or alternatively, vibration damper 24 may be applied over a majority of an external surface of tie base 20, such that vibrations within tie base 20 may be absorbed by the coating. In some embodiments, vibration damper 24 may additionally or alternatively be applied to an interior of tie base 20 (e.g., on internal walls of enclosure 26). When applied externally, vibration damper 24 may further function to inhibit oxidation of tie base 20 and/or to seal detectors 22 to tie base 20.

A thickness and/or composition of vibration damper 24 may be selected to tune out particular vibrations within tie base 20. That is, the thickness and/or composition of the coating may be selected to tune out or otherwise at least partially cancel vibrations having the propensity to damage detectors 22 (e.g., the natural frequencies of detectors 22). In some instances this thickness and/or composition of vibration damper 24 may vary depending on the location of the coating on tie base 20. For example, the coating of vibration damper 24 may have a thickness and/or composition on the external surfaces of tie base 20 that are different than the thickness and/or composition on the internal surfaces of tie base 20. It is also contemplated that the thickness and/or composition of vibration damper 24 may vary depending on the type of detectors 22 connected to tie base 20, if desired.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The disclosed detector tie and railway may be used in conjunction with any rail vehicle to monitor performance of the vehicle, and the disclosed detector tie may have extended use because vibration damper 24. In particular, detectors 22 may experience fewer damaging vibrations due to the location, composition, and/or thickness of vibration damper 24. In addition, oxidation of tie base 20 may be inhibited by an external coating of vibration damper 24. And by applying vibration damper 24 to only detector ties 16 a, the overall cost of railway 12 may be low.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed railway and detector tie without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the seal will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the railway and detector tie disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that vibration damper 24 could alternatively be a stand-alone component, fabricated from a non-elastomeric material, and/or applied to a component other than tie base 20 (e.g., to rails 14 and/or detectors 22), if desired. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A detector tie for a railway, comprising: a tie base; a detector operatively coupled to the tie base; and a vibration damper connected to a least one of the tie base and the detector, the vibration damper configured to protect the detector from vibrations induced within the railway.
 2. The detector tie of claim 1, wherein the vibration damper is located between the tie base and the detector.
 3. The detector tie of claim 1, further including a rail mount formed within the tie base, wherein the vibration damper is located at the rail mount.
 4. The detector tie of claim 1, wherein the tie base is fabricated from metal.
 5. The detector tie of claim 2, wherein the vibration damper is an elastomeric coating applied to the metal.
 6. The detector tie of claim 5, wherein: the elastomeric coating encompasses a majority of an external surface of the tie base; and the elastomeric coating is configured to inhibit oxidation of the tie base.
 7. The detector tie of claim 5, wherein: the tie base includes a generally hollow enclosure; and the detector is at least partially disposed within the generally hollow enclosure.
 8. The detector tie of claim 7, wherein the elastomeric coating is applied to an external surface of the tie base.
 9. The detector tie of claim 7, wherein the elastomeric coating is applied to an internal surface of the generally hollow enclosure.
 10. The detector tie of claim 7, wherein the elastomeric coating includes: a first coating applied to an external surface of the tie base; and a second coating different from the first coating and applied to an internal surface of the generally hollow enclosure.
 11. The detector tie of claim 1, wherein the vibration damper is tuned to reduce a natural frequency of the detector.
 12. The detector tie of claim 11, wherein: the vibration damper is a coating applied to the tie base; and a thickness of the vibration damper is tuned to reduce the natural frequency of the detector.
 13. The detector tie of claim 1, wherein the detector is one of a dragging equipment detector and an over temperature detector.
 14. A detector tie, comprising: a metallic tie base having a generally hollow enclosure; at least one of a dragging equipment detector and an over temperature detector at least partially disposed within the generally hollow enclosure; and a vibration coating applied to the, tie base, the vibration coating having a thickness tuned to reduce a natural frequency within the at least one of the dragging equipment detector and the over temperature detector and configured to inhibit oxidation. of the metallic tie base.
 15. A railway, comprising: at least one rail; a plurality of non-detector ties configured to support the at least one rail; a detector tie disposed between two of the plurality of non-detector ties and configured to support the at least one rail, the detector tie having: a tie base made from a material different than a material of the plurality of non-detector ties; a detector operatively coupled to the tie base; and a vibration damper connected to a least one of the tie base and the detector, the vibration damper configured to protect the detector from vibrations induced within the at least one rail: and a plurality of fasteners configured to connect the at least one rail to each of the plurality of non-detector ties and to the detector tie.
 16. The railway of claim 15, wherein: the plurality of non-detector ties are made from a wood or concrete; and the tie base of the detector tie is made from metal.
 17. The railway of claim 15, wherein the detector tie is one of a plurality of detector ties spaced about 10-30 miles apart from each other.
 18. The railway of claim 15, wherein: the vibration damper is a coating applied to the tie base of the detector tie; and the plurality of non-detector ties each includes an uncoated tie base.
 19. The railway of claim 15, wherein: the vibration damper is located between the tie base and the at least one rail; and the plurality of non-detector ties each includes a tie base connected directly to the at least one rail.
 20. The railway of claim 15, wherein: the tie base is metallic; the detector is at least one of a dragging equipment detector and an over temperature detector; the vibration damper has a thickness tuned to reduce a natural frequency within the detector; and the vibration damper is further configured to inhibit oxidation of the tie base. 